The clinical picture of cardiac insufficiency (or heart failure) describes the state in which the heart is unable to provide a sufficient pumping force to supply the organism with blood. It is characterized by a clinical syndrome consisting of fatigue, shortness of breath and fluid retention. The causes are complex and are often related to lifestyle choices (risk factors) in the industrialized nations. Epidemiologically, the figures for the United States of America reveal the extent of the disease and can be fully ascribed to the seven most important medical and health markets (USA, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and England). It is generally assumed that some 23 million people worldwide suffer from cardiac insufficiency and that there are about 2 million new cases of the disease each year.
Some 5 million people presently suffer from cardiac insufficiency in the USA, with a rate of 550,000 new cases every year. In view of the rapidly ageing population, the next ten years will see the number of patients suffering from cardiac insufficiency double in each decade of life over the age of 50; that is to say, in the year 2018 a total of 10 million people in the USA will suffer from this disease and will require corresponding therapy.
In order to increase the life expectancy of the patient, it is not only possible to perform heart transplantation or the implantation of intravascular assistance systems, with the associated risks of stroke, hemorrhage or infections, but also to consider placing around the heart a sleeve or a bag comprising inflatable chambers. These chambers are filled and emptied according to the contraction of the heart, such that they press from outside against the heart and, during the contraction, completely or at least partially assist the heart by active compression or augmentation or even take over the action of the heart. The bag or the sleeve is as flexible as possible, in order to be able to adapt to the shape of the heart. An example of a cardiac assistance device of this kind is disclosed in EP 1 748 809 B1.